Black Saturday

Okay, so I'm a day late--all that tryptophan tired me out ;) Anyway, for all of you who stayed in yesterday unwilling to face the marketing-induced crowds at the mall--and even for those who braved the madness--I'm repeating my offer from a couple of weeks back to make your Christmas shopping easy peasy. In case you missed it, here it is:

I'm signing copies of Chocolate Beach for the holidays at the super low price of 7 bucks each. Lower than Amazon! And signed too! (Hopefully that doesn't devalue it much, ha.)

Anyway, if you'd like to pick one up for a friend (or yourself ;) this Christmas, please stop by signedbytheauthor.com and place an order. You'll be able to note who to sign the book to on your order form, and they'll be priced this low while the supply lasts.

As for us, we survived the fabulously fun Thanksgiving Day at my house: 22 guests and a new doggie who growls at boys. Ca-razy! Currently, we're obsessed with Cesar Milan aka The Dog Whisperer. Guess which DVDs top my Christmas List this year??? Haha. (Seriously, we've already tried a few things that both our trainer and Milan suggested and we're making progress--yay!)

Have a beachy weekend--the rest of it anyway--wherever you are!

Sailing away...

About 22 family members and friends will arrive tomorrow to feast on turkey and all the fixins. Teen Son--who's studying to be a chef--and I just cooked up the first round of vittles. I'm pooped! It's just too much work to do it all in one day, ie. tomorrow, so I'm trying to get a head start. Anyone else do this?

Anyway, I'm plopped on the floor, trying to catch my breath, when I read this article about some entrepreneurs who decided to open up their local harbor-docked boat as a B&B. How cute is this? The 34ft. Villita, the article says, was commissioned in 1936 by cinematographer Ed Lyons, for his wife, a starlet named Violet Schram. This is especially news because even tho' our economy's in need of a transfusion (or several, actually), business for the floating B&B has been super strong.

There's something about the call of the sea that's awfully inviting to me at the moment...lol

How about you? If you're having the big shin-dig at your home tomorrow (if you're American, that is), what do you do to relax in the midst of the craziness? I'm open to new ideas :))

Chances are I'll be too buried in turkey juice to check in on the blog tomorrow, so here's wishing you a beautiful--and beachy!--holiday.

Writing on Monday--Brainstorm

So we adopted our beagle-mix, Charlie, on Saturday...and he keeps growling at Teen Son. His foster parents tell me poor Charlie was probably abused by a boy or two, because they experienced the same thing on occasion. We're working through it (God Bless Teen Son for trying), but if anyone has some fabulous advice, then in the words of Frasier Crane, "I'm listening."

Other than growling at Teen Son, Charlie's been easy peasy, playful, and funny too. Reminds me why so many people write dogs into their books. Don't be surprised to find one in an upcoming book of mine--my mind's a whirrin'!

Speaking of brainstorming, how many of you writers think about your stories during church? Go on. Be brave, and be honest. I certainly do. (shhh...best not to mention this to my pastor). During yesterday's service in particular, the ideas were swirling, the plot solidifying, new characters yakking...yeah, I'm heading into a new book.

And not the book I'd planned. See, I'm writing a series of three stories set in picturesque Otter Bay, CA. Until a couple of weeks ago, I was heading into book 2, but after much internal debate, I've decided to move book 3 into the 2nd position, or 'posish', as Teen Daughter would say.

All the more reason to be storming my brain with new thoughts and twists and plot points. Time is of the essence, especially during the holidays (not to mention the doggie-training days), so when I'm seated in church, and away from the hub-bub, I seem to hear God better about both life and books.

Hm. Maybe I should've asked His advice about the growling doggie...;)


p.s. For those who have asked, I'm juliecarobini on twitter.

Just poppin' in before dashing off to take Elem. Girl to school, but we just heard a few minutes ago--Charlie's coming home with us tomorrow!

Talk later :)

Dog Daze

Elementary Girl and I wandered into the local animal rescue shelter the other day--and fell in love with Charlie the dog. Wanted to take him home right then and there, but I've learned, this isn't how it works. First we had to fill out an application. Then we were interviewed. And today? The home/yard inspection. Oh my goodness--who knew? I just hope they don't check under the beds, LOL!

Hopefully, our little pal will be coming home with us in a day or so. Anyone else ever adopt a pet? What else might we expect?

In other news, I bought a turkey yesterday. Anyone else find this exciting? It's just that actually plunking down moola for the bird makes the approach of the holidays that much more real, know what I mean? I think you do!

Other than prepping for our new pup, I'm putting up some new pics in the hallway in time for Thanksgiving. My parents' hall is full of pictures, and we 'affectionately' call it the "Wall of Shame." So, yeah, it's time we had our own shameful display too.

I'm off to sweep the porch! Elementary Girl's beside herself with anticipation of Charlie's arrival. Pray we pass inspection :)

Writing on Friday--Fire and the CAN Blog

It's hot and dry this November day along the coast where I live. Just to the north of us, residents of Montecito could use your prayers as a fast moving fire has already consumed 100+ homes. I also learned that my good pal's niece had to be evacuated from Westmont College, where already several buildings have burned. I've got soft spot for Westmont as I've taught there for the Santa Barbara Christian Writer's Guild. From what I've heard, the students had to hide out in gym all night until they could be rescued--and it was quite tramatic. Many of the students are from out of the area, and cannot get to family right away. Keep them--and all of Montecito--in prayer, okay?

On another note, I posted about group book signings over at the CAN blog today. If you're a writer (or even if you're not, but interested ;), please pop by and say, hello, would you?

Have a beachy weekend, my friends--wherever you are!

Busy, busy today, but I wanted to drop in and let all my techy friends know that I've joined the masses by twittering and facebooking. Fun! Feel free to look me up.

Have a beachy day--wherever you are!

Christmas shopping made easy peasy

I'm signing copies of Chocolate Beach for the holidays at the super low price of 7 bucks each. Lower than Amazon! And signed too! (Hopefully that doesn't devalue it much, ha.)

Anyway, if you'd like to pick one up for a friend (or yourself ;) this Christmas, please stop by signedbytheauthor.com and place an order. You'll be able to note who to sign the book to on your order form, and they'll be priced this low while the supply lasts.

Speaking of the holidays, I usually post some kind of list of quirky gift items around this time. Each year I get a ton of hits looking for some wacky tape dispenser I'd mentioned once, isn't that a hoot? So what unique gifts have you come across this year? (Other than a signed copy of Chocolate Beach, that is...ha)

Happy Tuesday

So my brother, Mikey (Navarro), the animator, attended the cast party for the film he's been working on for the past year: Disney's BOLT. As with other movies he's worked on (Spy Kids, Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow, Night at the Museum...), he's received an animator or artist credit at the end. This time, however, because so many babies were born to the crew during the making of the film, the credits have a twist. When you watch those ending credits, be on the lookout for the Other Productions category, and there you'll find a list of those new little ones--including my nephew, Enzo. Isn't that cute??? I talked about Enzo's entry into our family last January here. Ten months old and he's already walking...my brother and wifey are in for it now, Lol...

And it's an offical holiday, so hug a Veteran today, and thank them for serving our beautiful country!!!

Writing on Monday--School Holiday

Happy Monday! Elementary Girl's home from school today, and teen kids will be home tomorrow. Ahh, the holidays are upon us...;)

With Elementary Girl home from school, writing is pretty much on the back burner for the day. That's really okay because at times like this I tend to let my mind run free with ideas, and jot them down for later review (i.e., when kids are in school :) With another couple of books coming due, my mind can't completely take a break, so it's a matter of grabbing the ideas when they appear...

The weekend, however, was pretty much work-free (yippee). I managed to finish reading a novel, watch Austen's Mansfield Park (Bliss, I tell you!--the rest of the fam was at a football game between our city's rival high schools), watch Elem. Girl's playoff soccer game, peruse an art show, and attend a special celebration event at church. Super nice weekend out here in CA (although windy enough yesterday to spray our small patch of paradise with palm fronds...)

How about you? What went on in your neck of the world over the weekend? And how do your days change when the kiddos are home from school?

Start Spreadin' the News

It's been a few weeks since our trip back east, but I was just looking through some of the pictures and getting nostalgic. So I took this little quiz, several times actually, because I wasn't quite sure if the description works for me. But I did love Greenwich, and actually took this picture of a purple door in the village. Just struck me as cool and funky.

So maybe this non-scientific quiz does have its merits...lol. Let me know how you fare.

You Belong in Greenwich Village

Avant garde and bohemian, you're quick to adopt new ideas and lifestyles. And while you're a bit less weird these days, you still have a "live and let live" philosophy.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

I'm happy that...

today's a new day.

That I had the opportunity to hop on my bike and work off some calories in brilliant sunshine.

That I've got fun kids and a hunky husband.

That my votes were counted and that several of them went my way.

And that God created chocolate.

I'm currently reading a soothing balm of a book called Chocolate Covered Friendship by Artisan Chocolatier Bethany Thouin and Angela Fox. Let me just say--and I know this might be a cliche--but it's delicious.

It's a book you can leave on your nightstand and pick up anytime to just feel...what am I looking for here?...well, to just feel good. Really good.

The book's filled with stories behind the names of Thouin's beloved truffles. There's Tina's Dark Chocolate Truffle, named for a tried and true friend. And the one named for her sister--Sarah's Frangelico Truffle--because of her sweet devotion. I really loved the story of the truffle she created for her friend Julie--Julie Anne's Orange Truffle. She said it represented her friend's talent for being human, a great person who can be taken at face value...so she made the truffle a little happy and a little dark to represent her sunny side and her biting honesty.

Oh, how I'd love to have such an honor bestowed upon me!

In addition to the great stories of friendship are recipes and quotes and decadent pictures. This is a great one to curl up with as the days shrink and the nights grow. Thanks to Angela for sending it my way. Bloggy Friends, you can read more about this beautiful little book here.

"The world is bursting with beauty that begs to be interpreted artistically. As a chocolatier, I use chocolate as my medium." --Bethany Thouin

Writing on Monday--er, Wednesday

To my American readers, How can we be thinking of anything other than tomorrow's election? I'll get back to writing on writing this coming Wednesday. In the meantime, please make time to cast your ballots tomorrow--and expect the lines to be long (bring a copy of one of my books or something ;)

1 Samuel 16 says, "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Writing on Friday--Marketing & Rachel Hauck's Book Trailer

Happy Friday, my friends! (Okay, so it's Thursday, but for some reason, I'm gunnin' for the weekend ;)

Anyway, B&H Publishing Group has created a book trailer for SWEET WATERS, but this isn't it...LOL I'll be posting that sometime in the new year. However, I found this trailer for Love Starts with Elle after author Rachel Hauck visited this blog the other day. I've already read the book and loved it, so wanted to show you this fun and fabulous trailer that she created.

I've been on the fence about trailers for awhile, mainly because like some books, they just don't hook me. However, my publisher has been creating some terrific book trailers that you can view over at the B&H site (Click on one of the books listed to see if there's a trailer for it.)

What do you think? If you're a reader, do you watch book trailers? Why or why not? If you're a writer, do you think they're helpful in spreading the word about your books?

Regardless, I think you'll find Rachel's trailer creative and easy on the eyes. So is her book :)

Have a beachy day, my friends--wherever you are! On Monday, I'll tell you about a delicious non-fiction book I'm currently devouring. See you then :)

Teen Daughter...on Broadway?

The main reason we traveled to New York City last week was because, last year, Teen Daughter's school had to cancel their own NY/Boston trip due to low participation. She was sooo disappointed! (Teen Son had gotten to go to Washington DC during his own last year of middle school.)

So I'd promised her we'd find another time. Since schools in these parts have a week-long fall break, we figured the timing would work well. However, it also meant that Teen Daughter would have to miss the call backs for a show she had auditioned for at a local award-winning theater.

So one night the girls and I were hurrying down Broadway, between 49th and 50th, right smack in New York's theater district. We were meeting the guys for dinner, but had gotten way-laid by some fabulous shopping, Lol (Discount designer duds in NYC :) So anyway, I glanced down at my phone, thinking the boys would wonder where we were, and sure enough, there was a message. Only the message wasn't from my husband, but from our hometown theater--saying that Teen Daughter had earned a spot in the Christmas Program. So we're walking on Broadway, along the 'Great White Way', when we learn this news--how cool is this???

I'm grateful to God for carrying us to and fro safely, and making the entire trip so special! (Btw, that's a poster of Ace Young, starring in GREASE, in front of the theater where we saw the show.)

Thanks to all of you who've stopped by with comments and/or email over the past couple of days! I'm still working on that deadline I mentioned, so I've appreciated the notes from the 'outside', Lol...

Have a beachy day, my friends--wherever you are!

Writing on Monday--New Cover!

We're back home again! (jiggity jig :)

I'd planned on sending out a newsletter soon to show off the cover for SWEET WATERS, but Relz Reviews beat me to it! The prolific Aussie reviewer has a preview of Sweet Waters and several other upcoming B&H books over on her stand-out site, so 'hop' on over there (sorry, couldn't resist a kangaroo ref :) to read all about it!

As for me, I'm on deadline this week, and will be chained to sitting at my computer for hours on end much of the day. Please send me a comment so I won't get lonely :))

Hello from Pennsylvania

I'm sitting next to a picture window in my in-law's home, admiring the color of turned leaves and continuous drizzle. A far cry from the still-warm beachy neighborhood where I live in CA.

It's good to experience how others live, I think. Early this week we were in uber-busy NYC, where all kinds of smells (good and, well, really bad) emanated from the streets. Lane lines are regularly ignored, as are Don't Walk signs and street vendors (Although I did snag a good deal on a really cute pink purse from one of those vendors--check it out above!).

For the past couple of days we've been in my husband's PA hometown, where most of the population comes out for the high school game (despite the cold), and the shops actually shut down for two hours (just when I had a hankerin' for a panini!) in order to hand out candy to little kids in a pre-Halloween celebration. Dorothy and Toto costumes would work super well here, whereas they'd probably be run right out of Time Square, lol...

Leaving for home tomorrow, where'll I'll be hitting the writing first thing. Had a conversation with my editor, Karen Ball, yesterday about a small addition to my next book, and I'm anxious to get it going. In the meantime, we're enjoying the presence of fall color, our big Italian family and all the provolone we can eat :))

On the move

The rest of our time in New York was non-stop amazing: Empire State Building, GREAT shopping (Macy's, H&M, Kira Plastinina...), crazy cab rides, men singing and playing the accordion on the subway, LOL. Can't wait to go back.

Tuesday eve we loaded up the fam and way too much luggage and took a train to New Jersey to have a fabulous home-cooked dinner with friends, then it was off to the hotel. Hubby got our suite comped when we learned (much after settling in) that there was NO HEAT in one of the rooms. They gave us space heater the size of a small dog. As if. Ha.

The rest of the week we're in NW Pennsylvania to see family. Shoulda seen the look on this California Girl's face when I learned that the local sandwich shop no longer sold lattes! Are. you. kidding. me??? Thankfully--and believe it or not--the gas station does! And, woo-hoo!, they're actually pretty decent (and cheaper than at home). Lol, that put a smile on my face.

LIVE from New York...!

First off, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, Love of my Life. 18 years and counting!!!
***

About the trip, it's hard to know where to begin. NYC is unlike any place I've ever been. People drive like absolute maniacs (okay, I've been to London, so I guess I have seen similar driving before, lol), everything's BIG, and Manhattan is up all night.

In the last two days we've walked the Brooklyn Bridge, had lunch at John's pizza in Grenwich, strolled through Central Park and along Fifth "Av", we've bought stuff from street vendors, hung out in the lobby of NBC while Sarah Palin was guesting on SNL, and last night we saw a Broadway show--Ace Young in GREASE!!! Yes, my AMERICAN IDOL friends, that Ace. Let me just say, the guy can act and dance and sing!

Today we're hitting the subway for more sights (probably risky considering it's Monday and there'll be all those commuters...). I'll let you know how that goes. In the meantime, that pic at the top is of the view from our hotel, and the other is of my family walking on the bridge to Brooklyn. Hubby's got elementary girl on his shoulders, and my teens are the red heads.

Have a beachy day--wherever you are!

Writing on Friday--I miss my blog!

Packing for a family of five for a cross-country trip is one of those things that no matter how hard you try, you're never quite prepared for. Mainly because there's all this living to do in between--know what I mean?

Elementary Girl's been off school all week (her school has a two week fall break, as opposed to Teen Kids' school's upcoming one week). Love her, love her--but every time I sit down to start a post, I hear, "Mom?"

Lol...you moms know what I'm talkin' about.

Anyway, we leave tomorrow for the Big Apple, but before then I still have:
--To buy jeans for Teen Son (He told me this morning)
--All the banking stuff for the trip
--Get Elem. Girl ready for tonight's Cotillion
--Pick up Teen Daughter from mid-day appt., take back to school, then pick up again after school.
--Finish all the packing
--Scrub the house sparkling clean so I can come back to cleanliness--anybody else do that???

I'm sure there's more to do, but this is all I let myself think about at the moment...

And yesterday my new publisher sent me a list of things to do. Fortunately, I'll be able to work on all that on the plane. Flying is not one of my favorite things in the world, so distractions are welcome :)

Attn: Chocolate Lovers: Before heading off to tackle my to-do list, here's a link my Pennsylvania sis-in-law Diane sent me (Thanks, Diane!!!) Find out if you're a chocoholic...I failed miserably, so tell me how you fared!

Have a beachy weekend, my friends--wherever you are! (And p.s. I'll post from NYC whenever I can ;)